Undressing in Preparation of Eternal Slumber: How Edna Final

To the outsider, Chopin’s tragic heroine, Edna, has a wonderful life, a lovely house, a doting husband, and two healthy, handsome young boys. Defying the stereotype society has set up for her, Edna battles the pressures of 1899 that command her to be a subdued and devoted housewife. When Edna and her family are first introduced to the reader, they are vacationing on Grand Isle, a popular summertime retreat for well to do Creoles. The variation in Edna’s sleep patterns is initially set up in the third chapter when Mr. Pontellier comes home from his daily ventures and finds her asleep. Léonce promptly awakens Edna from her sleep and begins to tell her of the day’s events. After being forced awake by her

When back in New Orleans, Edna must cope with all the expectations society throws at her. Instead of deal with all the things that are expected of her, Edna continually abandons her post as a good Creole wife and mother and caters to her own whims and fancies. When Edna’s father has gone home, Léonce has gone away on his business trip to New York, and the children have gone to visit their grandmother in Iberville, Edna takes the time to do things that she that make her happy, leaving her a more content person. At the end of the chapter, Edna, liberated from all her daily burdens, is able to slip easily and comfortably into the best sleep she had ever known.

Edna first starts to remove her clothing when she goes to the beach with Madame Ratignolle. Edna only removes her collar and opens her dress around her throat, but this is the first instance she feels free enough to unbutton publicly.

Edna is unable to sleep well at the beginning of the novel, but as the novel advances, and Edna goes through her "awakening" she is able to sleep soundly and more contentedly. At the end of the novel, Edna’s suicide reflects the ultimate victory she manages to attain; an eternal, unperturbed, peaceful slumber.

Edna finally achieves her ultimate goal, complete and utter control over her own life. Edna’s suicide is indicative of her final escape; she

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